


Lion or Snake?

by musikurt



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-11
Updated: 2013-11-11
Packaged: 2018-01-01 05:06:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1040685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musikurt/pseuds/musikurt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pansy has spent the last week dealing with the result of the Sorting Ceremony.  Maybe, she's decided, it's really not so bad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lion or Snake?

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the following prompt:
> 
> Pansy Parkinson, Gryffindor, Breakfast

Pansy stopped for a moment on the stairs before entering the Great Hall. She'd survived the week of Howlers - one every morning and three that had arrived in the middle of the afternoon. The first few had been embarrassing and left her feeling hurt. By the fourth letter, however, she realized just how ridiculous her parents were being. They'd been to Hogwarts. They knew just as well as she did that the Sorting Hat decides where a student ends up. Saying she "did this on purpose to embarrass the family" was what the thing her family should have really been ashamed of. Though the notes didn't really bother her much at this point, she really hoped there wouldn't be another one this morning. It kept drawing attention to her (though, normally she would have relished every moment) and was starting to annoy many of the students and faculty.

She entered the hall and felt all eyes on her. She wasn't the only one who was waiting with a level of anticipation. But she didn't let that faze her. She smiled and wandered over to her house table.

"Pansy! I saved you a seat."

Pansy slipped onto the bench between two of her fellow students. "How kind of you, Ronald." She never expected she'd willingly speak to a Weasley, but she'd learned that this one wasn't so bad. And he doted on her, which she decided was something she could really get used to.

"Everything okay?" Harry asked from the other side of the table.

"I guess we'll see," she answered as a flurry of owls swooped into one of the upper windows. The entire hall fell silent and Pansy could sense everyone looking at her. She breathed a sigh of relief when the last owl was gone and there was no letter sitting in front of her. She could feel a wave of relief wash across the room, but it seemed more apparent at her own table. She figured that even though the Howlers didn't bother her, they might have still been a source of embarrassment for her housemates. For a moment, she felt sorry about that.

"Well, how about that? Looks like you're out of the woods," Harry observed.

Pansy shook her head. "It's good and bad. They'll leave me alone now, I'm sure, but it likely means I've been disowned." Ron winced at that last word. He couldn't even imagine what it would be like for one's family to not accept them. It was so opposite of the environment in which he'd grown up.

"You've us, now," Harry replied. "We'll help you through it."

Pansy smiled. She didn't know how a group of children, albeit her friends, was going to help her in that moment, but it was better than nothing. "Ronald? Can you pass some of that sausage over here or are you going to eat it all again?"

Ron's face went red and he slid the tray over in front of Pansy. "Sorry, Pansy."

"You really oughtn't be so hard on him," Harry whispered when Ron turned his attention to a conversation between Dean and Seamus. "You know he fancies you."

Pansy shrugged. She didn't need anyone to tell her that. But she also didn't need anyone telling her what to do, either. That was one of the advantages of being disowned by her overbearing parents. The last thing she wanted was her friends to take on that role. She was prepared to tell Harry as much, but she took a deep breath and decided against it. She didn't need to be rude to him when he was just trying to help. The thought made her shudder. Maybe she really did belong in Gryffindor after all.

She across the room and saw Draco Malfoy glaring at her. He hadn't spoken to her since the Sorting Ceremony. She was certain he'd felt betrayed in some way. Yet another person who knew how the Sorting process worked but still blamed her for where she ended up. Though she figured Draco would have some reasoning for blaming her. Maybe he thought she hadn't focused on the right thoughts while she was wearing the Sorting Hat. Perhaps he thought she didn't learn enough about the old Slytherin ways from her family. Or possibly she just didn't want it enough. But she knew that even if any of those were true, they were unlikely to have an impact on where she ended up. Professor McGonagall had told her as much.

A week ago, just after the Sorting Ceremony, Pansy had sought out her new Head of House for an explanation. She had been angry at first; Slytherin was her expectation just as much as everyone else expected her to go there. But by the time the Welcoming Feast had concluded, she was more curious than upset. She'd actually enjoyed sitting with her housemates at dinner. But she still needed to know what it meant. She was the first person in her family to be sorted somewhere other than Slytherin in over 150 years. But McGonagall had explained that the Sorting Hat looks at more than what we see or what he know. The Hat looks at who we have the potential to be instead of just who we are or who we've been. It still didn't make perfect sense, but it was enough to assure her that there was no need for a "re-do".

Pansy was pulled out of her thoughts by a hand on her shoulder. "Coming, Pansy? Double Potions?" Ron was already standing beside her. She looked around and saw students were filing out of the hall.

"Yeah," Pansy answered as she climbed to her feet. She looked over at Draco, who was still staring at her as he stood and put his arms around a girl she'd never met before. She remembered her from the sorting, though. Granger, was it? Her storing stood out in Pansy's mind because she was the first Muggle-born to be sorted in to Slytherin that she'd ever heard of. Even the faculty looked confused and concerned. But clearly Draco had taken a quick shine to her. She watched as they left the hall.

"Sure you're okay?" Harry asked, standing next to Ron.

Pansy shook her head again and smiled. She didn't need Draco anymore. Clearly he was only her friend if certain conditions were met. The two young men standing in front of her seemed different. They might not have been the type of company she was used to, but they didn't seem to mind who she was or who her parents were. And while she'd become accustomed to using her last name to get anything she wanted, for once it was nice to be around people who just didn't care about that at all. "Yeah, just still a bit overwhelming." She grabbed her books off of the bench next to where she was sitting. "Let's go."


End file.
